Desired Zenocide
by thisendsintragedy
Summary: The ultimate opposite's attraction between a preppy cheerleader and a dangerous rebel and what happens when the two meet in a fusion of passion. Rated M for language, violence, and SMUT! J/H
1. The First Day

Desired Zenocide

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of _That '70s Show_, though I really wish I did.

Rated M for: strong language, some violence, alcohol/drug use, and smut.

Note: This is my first attempt at a _That '70s Show_ fanfic, so I'm hoping it doesn't come out as a total disaster. I love Jackie and Hyde—they're perfect for each other even though they don't realize it at first. It's the ultimate opposite's attraction. Love it. This is basically the way _I_ would have loved to see their relationship play out from the beginning of the show. If you don't like it, then don't read it. Just know I'm changing/adding a few things. Don't get mad, get glad. Creativity is fun, or else there wouldn't be a Walt Disney World, eh?

Plot: From the beginning, Jackie intrigued Hyde. Whatever it was about her that had him hook, line, and sinker, he didn't know, but there was something about her that he couldn't ignore. Maybe it was her innocence, or maybe it was how wrong—forbidden—she was for him, but he didn't care. Jackie, however, is drawn to Hyde because of how rebellious and smart he is. There's something about his anarchy, his Zen, and how it comes together as a compliment rather than a contradiction that makes her want to know more about him and his unpopular views—and how it could make him behave in the bedroom. But he's older than her, and so not her type. What would he ever want with her? Oh, if only she knew…

The First Day

Steven Hyde was sitting in his friend's basement as usual, in the most uncomfortable chair in the room all the way in the far corner wearing brown-tinted shades, a black Led Zeppelin shirt, old ripped jeans, and scuffed brown boots. His hair was a wild mess of curls on his head and he had side-burns growing out almost an inch from his face. In his hand was a bottle of Coca-Cola, a substitute for the beer he wanted so badly, and he had his Zen face on while pretending to listen to Kelso talking about the latest girl he was infatuated with.

"And dude, she like, has this awesome brown hair," he said with a guffawed look, eyes glazed over with a dreamy-like haze. "It's all bouncy and stuff. Kinda looks like little bunnies on her head," he grinned.

"Kelso," Hyde sighed, giving his friend a hard stare through his glasses. "You've been talking about this girl for like, twenty minutes now. And everything you've said has been totally un-fucking-interesting."

Kelso suddenly looked hurt by the harshness of his friend's tone and said, "Jeez man, you don't have to be such a dick. Jackie's really great. You'll totally like her when you meet her."

"No I won't man," Hyde said with upmost certainty.

"Well, why not?" his friend replied, his bottom lip preparing to stick out for a pout.

"'Cause I'm not gonna meet her, that's why!" Hyde replied with a laugh, making Kelso frown with disappointment.

"Whatever man, that ain't cool. Whatever though."

Hyde merely smirked good-naturedly and stood up from his uncomfy chair. "Well, I'm gonna go out for a beer. I'll see ya later, Kelso."

Kelso muttered something in reply, but Hyde didn't stick around to hear what his friend said. Without looking back, he headed for the basement door and walked out, making his way for the only bar in town that would serve him. The owner Becky was sweet on him because of his love for the oldies and let him come to the bar for a few drinks and a game of pool whenever the kid wanted. He hadn't been to The Pad in a few days though, and figured tonight would be a good night to see the ol' lady herself and maybe talk her into playing a game of pool or two.

He would've invited his friend along, but Kelso was just an idiot. Not to mention the fact that Hyde grew sick of hearing about his friend's somewhat sexual encounters with pretentious females all the time. Kelso—while being positively the most idiotic guy in the world—surprisingly got more chicks than he and his friend, Eric Forman, put together. And that was just sad. Sad and wrong.

It wasn't that Hyde didn't like girls—oh no, he _definitely_ liked the ladies—it was just that he was super picky about who he wanted to go to bed with nowadays. He'd lost his virginity in the back seat of a stolen car when he was in ninth grade to a girl that was a few years older than him, and since then he'd become a sex machine. Hyde became addicted to the high and the feeling of having someone—even though it was merely a physical pairing—to call his own for a while. He wasn't big on girlfriends. He didn't know the first thing about being a boyfriend, really. After witnessing his father cheat on his mother so many times and then finally abandoning her a few years later, Hyde had no idea what being a true boyfriend was really all about. He knew cheating wasn't a good thing, nor was hitting a girl or calling her a "bitch", but that's the kind of behavior he'd been exposed to when his father had been around. Having zero experience with love, Hyde made sure to keep his trysts with women strictly sexual and platonic. Nothing else could ever happen. Feelings would destroy him. A _woman _would certainly drive him insane, and then destroy him.

But deep down, he still craved companionship. He still hoped for that one girl to come into his life that would give him the desire to be a true lover and faithful partner, but no such girl ever came into the picture. Hyde thought his best friend, Donna Pinciotti, could be the one for him, but he'd been wrong after seeing how she really reacted to men who were interested in her.

She treated Forman like shit; Hyde saw how the guy would give anything to be with her, but she barely paid him any mind. It was like she enjoyed torturing him with skirting around her feelings for him and never giving him an inch when it came to trying to please her. Hyde didn't want a bossy girl like Donna—he wanted someone sweet, understanding, and with a much better body. He hated to admit it, but he was pretty shallow, and his shallowness would _definitely_ not let him ever bed Donna.

So a few weeks ago he decided no more casual fucking. No more women. Unless they were really, really worth it. But it'd be three weeks now and Hyde hadn't found a single worthy candidate yet. He was beginning to think he might have set his standards a little too high.

Hyde rounded a street corner and was about to cross the street when a cute little brunette caught his eye. She had long curly hair tied up in a ponytail and was dressed in a cheerleading uniform, laughing with some girls next to her. He noticed she was shorter than them, but her chest was a decent size and her legs were tanned and well toned, which definitely made up for her lack of height. But then again, Hyde figured she wouldn't be as cute if she weren't as short and decided she was best suited as a sort-of midget.

Just then, a bus came and all of her friends got on, leaving her behind. But she smiled and waved, hiding her desire to go with them instead of waiting on the street curb for her father's driver, alone and scared of being by herself. Hyde watched as her friends waved back and got on the bus, none of them asking if the girl wanted them to stay with her. He could tell by the look on her face that she was uncomfortable to be here and had the sudden urge to go over and see if she was okay. The urge just came out of nowhere fast, and before he could do anything to stop it, Hyde found himself walking towards her.

When he was just a few feet away, she looked up and he stopped. In that moment he was so grateful to whatever god was in existence that he was wearing sunglasses, because he definitely didn't want this girl to see the desire he knew would be in them. Her own eyes were mismatched; one blue and one green, and they seemed to penetrate deeply into his soul. Her lips parted when she saw him looking at her, and a blush started to creep up her neck. Hyde noticed it immediately and grinned; it was then he knew that she was untouched, innocent.

Her lips curved into a small, unsure smile when he finally stopped in front of her, and she arched an eyebrow at him. "Can I help you?"

Her voice was loud, demanding, but soft and fairy-like all at the same time. Hyde wanted to close his eyes from how wonderful it sounded but kept the urge in check. He suddenly felt stupid for not thinking of something clever to say to her when he approached her. Needless to say he felt like a smacked ass.

"I-I noticed your friends left you alone," he winced hearing the words, thinking he sounded like a potential rapist. "You just looked a little scared."

She cast her eyes to the ground, turning away from him. "What's it to you, buddy? You don't know me."

"Does it matter?" Hyde retorted, suddenly irritated that she couldn't show gratitude for him looking out for her wellbeing.

She whipped her head around and shot him a fiery look. "It does when you're a fifteen-year-old cheerleader alone at twilight with a bunch of drunken guys around, waiting for the bus."

He nodded, and raised his hand in surrender. "Okay, I get it. You're 'Little Miss High-Strung' and that's not the kind of high I like my girls to be. I'll catch ya later."

"Whatever you say, creep," she muttered under her breath.

Hyde smirked at that and kept walking toward The Pad—the only thing on his mind was getting totally and completely shitfaced.

Jackie Burkhart looked at the back of Steven Hyde as he crossed the street toward the dingy bar called The Pad, releasing the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Ever since she first saw him on her first day of school—one of the few occasions she ever saw Hyde at school—she'd developed a crush on him. In truth he wasn't exactly her type; Jackie usually went for the clean cut, pretty boys who dressed in rugby shirts, denim flared jeans, and usually played a sport like football or basketball. But it wasn't Hyde's appearance that intrigued her—it was his cool demeanor and eccentric worldviews that sparked her interest.

She'd been in the library reading _Cosmo_ when Hyde and his friends, Eric Forman, Michael Kelso, and some weird foreign guy they called Fez, walked in and sat down at table directly behind her. There was a bookshelf in between their tables so she wouldn't get caught in her eavesdropping, and as soon as Hyde opened his mouth Jackie abandoned her engrossed reading on an article about the ninety-nine ways to please a man outside the bedroom and focused all her energy on hearing that glorious angel speak in his melodious voice.

"See, that's the problem with you Forman," she heard him say with what she imagined was an eye roll. "You're like, so brain-washed by the corporate society it's not even funny, man. I mean, are you even listening to yourself?"

"Um Hyde, I'm just talking about not knowing what to be when I grow up," Eric said defensively, and Jackie bet he had his hands raised in open palms. "You're the one having a conniption about the world again."

"Yeah Hyde, what is the big deal about your government anyway?" the foreigner, Fez, asked in his flamboyant voice. "They give you all kinds of goodies that people back in my country would die for. Like these amazing pants I am wearing right now. Did you know back in my country the men did not wear pants? Nope, we wore cloths like they were tunics, wrapped around our waists to keep our—"

"Fez!" Hyde and Eric shouted at the same time. "Enough!"

"What? I was just saying that you guys don't know how lucky you are. You get to wear clothing that keeps bugs and grass from getting in between your—"

"Okay seriously Fez, knock it off!" she heard Kelso pipe up. She could see him with that stupid, guffawed look on his face as if he were right in front of her actually making it, and she bit back a bubble of laughter.

"Jeez, what's got you so wound up?" Eric questioned Michael.

"Yeah Kelso, does Fez's talk about certain parts of the male anatomy turn you on?"

"No man, not at all. I just don't want to talk about this kind of stuff, that's all. I'm having one of those 'inconvenient male moments' they taught us in health class."

"What, why?" Eric exclaimed. "We weren't even talking about girls. We were talking about bad government and Fez's lack of pants in his country—wherever that is."

"Yeah I know, it's just, well, there's this cute little freshman I've been noticing and—"

"Christ, Kelso, it's only the first week of school and you're all ready going to start raiding and pillaging unchartered territory?"

"Not just any unchartered territory," Michael said with what sounded like a smile in his voice, "but unchartered territory that belongs to cheerleaders!"

Jackie bit her tongue, not liking where the conversation was heading. She was so irritated; why did Hyde's friends have to ruin his intellectual speech with their lame blunder? _She_ wanted to hear about why society was corrupt, even though his friends thought his speech was a waste of time. She found herself caring about what he had to say and wanting to know more.

"Cheerleaders?" she heard Hyde say with disdain. He groaned and said, "Kelso you're an idiot. But then again, so are cheerleaders, so never mind. I say go for them."

Kelso laughed. "Thanks man,"

"Can I please get back to what I was saying now?" Hyde asked in exasperation.

His friends then mumbled a chorus of yes's and Hyde immediately dove right back into his rant, picking up right where he left off.

Jackie listened intently as he spoke so passionately about freedom and how the idea unconsciously corrupted man and how the thirst for knowledge is what destroyed society. She found herself taking notes—just writing down some key things to research if ever she should talk to Hyde—so she could educate herself on his opinions. He seemed smart—in the crazy kind of way—and Jackie felt confident that the things he spoke of would be very interesting and not at all boring. After she had heard them leave she darted straight to the encyclopedias and found books on ancient history, as well as philosophies of the scientific age, several religious doctrines, and many other topics she'd never think of looking up. She brought them home that night and begin reading and studying them right away, successfully neglecting her homework and cheers in doing so, but she didn't care. Something told her that the things she'd read in those books would be much more rewarding than any A or making cheerleading captain could ever be.

It'd been three weeks since she last saw him in the library, and Jackie felt like such a changed person in those days. She barely read a beauty magazine on her own—she only did it to keep up appearances with her friends—and she put more effort into her school projects than she did coordinating new cheer routines. She still went to parties, curled her hair, painted her face, and wore her girly clothes, but on the inside she definitely was _not_ the Jackie Burkhart her friends were used to. They noticed she talked more eloquently, and asked them serious questions like, "Do you think we'll ever be friends with Vietnam again?" as opposed to, "What color should I paint my nails for that date with the senior boy? Fire-engine red or the smoky coal black?" and they didn't seem thrilled by the change.

But Jackie didn't care. They weren't her real friends anyway; they only liked her because she was rich, pretty, and a cheerleader. If she weren't all of those things, she knew she'd be just another boring face in the crowd like everyone else was. There was nothing special about her. Not unless you count the fact that the girl came with a credit card without a spending limit attached to her.

And here she stood now, staring at the back of the boy who she was in puppy-love with, as he walked away from her to go to a bar. Most likely he wanted to get shitfaced, Jackie figured, but instead of being turned off by it, she felt all the more attracted to Steven Hyde than she all ready did. It was like she could feel the pain radiating off his body—or perhaps it was the loneliness she felt—and that's how she knew the reason Steven was going to the bar to drink. He was alone like she was. And it hurt him like it hurt her. She knew it did—even though he liked to pretend he didn't care.

"Don't go," she couldn't help herself saying. The words came out as a whisper; she figured she spoke them too soft for him to hear. But when she looked up to see what she thought would be Steven going into the bar, she instead saw he had stopped walking and had turned back to look at her.

Hyde couldn't believe she'd said it—she'd spoken so low he almost thought he imagined she'd said anything at all. But when he turned around to look at her for signs he'd made up the whole thing, he saw her gazing back at him with those wide, oddly-colored eyes and it hit him then; she _had_ called him back. She didn't want him to go.

The heart he didn't know he had suddenly tugged forward toward her, as if compelled to do so like a magnet attracting its opposite charge. Hyde looked up at her then, and once again they locked eyes. He felt as though her gaze were setting him on fire from the inside out, thawing the ice around his cold heart in order to make it alive and capable to love again. But he didn't—wouldn't—want to love anyone. No, not just anyone. Hyde decided that if he were to feel that strongly for a girl, it'd be her. It'd be the cute, brunette cheerleader he saw right here, in this moment, gazing back at him with what looked to be a need that he'd see in a child's eyes—a child wanting to be cared for and nurtured who'd been left abandoned in the world. Oh yes, Hyde wanted to give her his whole heart then. He knew too well about the pain of isolation and he didn't want that sweet, innocent angel to ever feel one bit of the loneliness he felt.

In that moment he wanted to walk back, call out to her—something—but nothing came to mind. The words stuck in his throat before he could get them out.

Jackie's heart pounded in her chest; she wanted Hyde to come back, but at the same time, she feared he'd do just that and then her whole world go fall rapidly apart by the seams. She couldn't mess around with Steven Hyde! He was older than her and he was totally rebellious and dangerous. What would her friends think of they saw her with him anyway? Let's be real here—the fantasy of her being with Hyde was delicious, tantalizing, and something she wanted very, very much, but it just wasn't realistic. Because boys like Steven Hyde didn't date girls like Jackie Burkhart. They were like blood and water—they just weren't supposed to mix.

But the way he stared at her made her think otherwise. Even though he wore glasses, Jackie could just tell there was desire in his eyes and wanted nothing more than for him to act on it. The feeling had come out of nowhere, but it was raw, wanton, and was powerful enough to choke the common sense right out of her. As she looked at him, she felt herself drawing closer to him. She felt herself start to walk forward, toward Steven, toward her desire…

The sound of a car horn cut into her reverie, and Jackie blinked herself out of her daydream.

When he saw the expensive car roll up and the petite cheerleader get in, Hyde felt his stomach twist uncomfortably. Something in his gut told him that he and the cheerleader weren't right for each other. He saw something in her eyes just then—something that looked a lot like doubt—and snapped out of his own daydream then.

What was he thinking? How could he get so caught up on wanting a _cheerleader_? And not just a cheerleader, but a little freshman who was obviously popular because she was rich and spoiled. Well, well, wasn't that just his luck? First he picks his man-eating best friend to want to love, and then he picks out a daddy's little rah-rah princess? _Christ,_ he thought with a shake of his head, _it's time I get me a beer._

He turned back around and continued his walk to The Pad like nothing happened.

**So here's the beginning of DZ. What do you think of it so far? I know it's way different than the show, but like I said, this is how I'd love to see a J/H romance play out so tell me what you think! R/R! :)**


	2. 2 A Partnership

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of _That '70s Show_, though I really wish I did.

2. A Partnership

Throughout the next week, Hyde had to endure more of Kelso's idiotic rambling about some freshman he really liked, and to his amusement the rest of the gang was just about losing their patience with Kelso as well.

"Dude, when are we supposed to be meeting this girl again?" Eric asked one day during Circle Time. "Wasn't she like, supposed to meet us yesterday at our favorite restaurant and never showed up?"

"Yeah," Hyde chimed in with his know-it-all smirk. "That's twice we missed an opportunity of seeing her. I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to think she doesn't exist."

Kelso's face suddenly turned bright red at Hyde's accusation. "You take that back, Steven Hyde!" he commanded with a low bellow. "I swear it, I will _not_ allow that kind of talk about my beloved!"

"_What_ beloved, Michael?" Fez asked in a serious voice, holding the book his English class were starting to read—_Romeo and Juliet—_and looking around for any indication that Kelso's new squeeze was around. "Hm, I don't see any women here except for Donna, but let's face it, Michael, she would have nothing to do with you." He puffed his chest out and said, "Not when she can have me, anyways, the great Romeo Montahue!"

Hyde chuckled. "It's Monta_gue_, you moron."

"Yeah," Kelso agreed with a snicker, "and even _I_ knew that."

"Burn!" Eric exclaimed with a bright smile. Hyde and Fez awarded him with high fives while Kelso sulked like a smacked puppy.

After that the boys watched _Dick Vandyke_ and had more Circle Time before Hyde called it a night and headed for The Pad for another beer night. His last one had been nearly a week ago since he saw that cute brunette at the bus stop. Nearly a week had passed, and she had rapidly consumed his thoughts like a forest caught in a wildfire. He couldn't do anything without thinking of her, wondering where she was or what she liked to do in her spare time. It was driving him insane.

_Maybe I am going insane,_ he thought as he opened the door to the side entrance of the bar.

Inside the building was dimly lit with a linoleum floor, band posters and beer logos decorated the wood paneled walls, and in the center sat the bar with four pool tables behind it and booths lining the inside of the walls. Becky was behind the well polished bar drinking—no doubt Jameson—and when she saw Hyde walk through the door she let out a delighted squeal.

"Look whose come in to visit their ma!" she announced with a cry, her aging blue eyes sparkling with joy.

Hyde smiled at the mature woman and took a seat at the bar. "How's it goin', Becky?"

"Ah, you know," she said with a shrug, "same ol', same ol'. What ya wanna drink, honey? I got a new case of Heineken fresh out the cooler, just waitin' for customers to enjoy."

Hyde's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Well, I wouldn't want those cold lovelies to go to waste now, would I?"

She winked at him and said, "That's my boy!" in a proud voice before bending over to get the case and setting it down on the bar in front of Hyde. "Well, what're ya waitin' for? Let's polish some of 'em off, huh?"

"Don't have to tell me twice," Hyde smiled, taking two bottles and opening one, leaving the other to sit for easy access.

They each cracked open a beer and took hearty swigs. Hyde's beer had gone down nice and smooth like a soothing balm to his scorched nerves. As soon as the alcohol touched his taste buds, his body came alive with a renewed sense of calm. Everything felt clear. Normal.

"So," Becky slammed a finished beer down on the bar and grinned at Hyde. "How's it goin' at school? You like the tenth grade?"

"Eh," he shrugged. "It's school, ya know? It's the same shit every year. Only thing that changes is the bitties."

The bar owner's eyes lit up in surprise. "That so? You cheatin' on me with some young piece of meat or somethin' Mr. Hyde?"

"Aw Becky," he chuckled, "you know you're first in my heart—always. No other girl could compare to you."

"Yeah, yeah," she waved her hand at his words like they were an annoying bug, "that's what you youngin's say all the time to us old women, and then the next time we see ya, there's a baby bimbo hangin' all over ya arm."

The only thing Hyde could do was smother a fit of giggles by drinking more beer. He finished the rest of it in just a few gulps.

"So what's her name?" Becky asked.

"What's whose name?"

"Don't get funny with me," she told him with a stern look. "I know when someone's in love or smitten or whatever it is ya are, and I can tell 'cause they got that far-away, dreamy look like ya had 'bout a week ago and the one ya got now. So," she drawled, grabbed a chair and drawing it up to the bar. She sat down and shot Hyde a pointed look. "Ya gonna tell me or what?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his wild curls; there'd be no escaping this woman. He should've known she'd grill him about what happened the last time he came in here.

After he met that girl at the bus stop he'd gotten a quarter of a case in his system before he was babbling about her eyes, her hair, and anything else about her he could think about. Becky was drunk then as well, and thought Hyde's mystery girl sounded like a true beauty—a gem—and she wanted to meet her. But she'd been plastered by then so Hyde figured she wouldn't remember.

But clearly, Becky remembered _something_ about the girl. And he knew if he didn't give her some details about his developing new love, she'd be pissed with him and probably would refuse to serve him for a while. Sure, he had an old stash of beer hidden in his dingy room, but they were good enough to hold him over until he came to The Pad to enjoy the luxury of fresh beer. Going too long without it gave him headaches and drinking the nearly-expired shit made him nauseous after a while.

Bearing that in mind, Hyde decided to be a man, grab his sac all ready, and talk about his feelings for a little bit. What'd be the point in that? He can always say that the alcohol is what got him emotional and lovey dovey—isn't that what people did anyways? They blamed the alcohol for something they "swear they'd never do if they were sober"?

Hyde thought "fuck it", opened his second beer and downed in all in one shot before delving into his tale.

Two hours and ten beers later, Hyde was beyond drunk.

He was obliterated.

He and Becky had talked about the girl he'd seen for the whole time; Hyde regaled her with details about the meeting while the older woman drank the other half of the case, listening to him talk with upmost intensity. He'd never seen the bar owner talk about anything nostalgic; she usually discussed love as "a good fuck—whether you're the one fucking someone over, or you're the one getting fucked."

But she'd taken him by surprise when she opened up about her first love. She told Hyde how magical it'd been to meet David in sixth grade on the playground on her first day at a new school.

"He was playin' tag with some of the other boys and girls," she recalled with a wistful expression in her eyes, "and I was sittin' on a swing, quiet and shy 'cause I had no friends then, but—" she began to tear up and paused to wipe her eyes. "But David came up behind me and tagged me, miling' and sayin' I was 'it', and I couldn't help it; I chased after him."

"So what happened after that?" Hyde asked with general curiosity.

"Well, we became close friends before dating in high school, and then he…" she gulped as more tears came to her eyes. "H-h-he-he died."

Surprisingly, Hyde went to sleep with no doubts in his mind that he and that girl at the bus stop would one day—very soon—cross paths again. Any thoughts of being without her never crossed his mind.

Hyde was in class with a nice hangover. He'd actually gone to school today after Forman yelled at him like a little bitch about school and responsibility—sounding annoyingly like his old man—and Hyde had just gone to shut him up. He was in English class at the moment, trying to concentrate on what William Shakespeare's views on how today's society viewed love would be.

He wasn't ashamed to say he liked ol' Billy and his love sonnets—at least, not in front of a couple of strangers—but to admit that fact around his friends would be treacherous. Talking about emotion wasn't something Hyde liked to do, and for him to admit to liking something as nostalgic like Shakespeare's poetry would be nearly masochistic.

Donna and Fez were also in the class, and like Hyde they were struggling to pay attention to what their English teacher thought the dead poet would think about today's views on love in society. Donna was writing down nonsense about the Capulets and Montagues while Fez had his head slumped against his fist, desperately trying to stay awake. The heavily fatigued expressions of his friends were totally comical, and Hyde couldn't fight the snicker that had escaped his traitorous mouth.

"Excuse me, Mr. Hyde, but do you have something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?" Mr. Roberts, their English teacher, asked in his nasally voice.

"Uh no, Mr. Roberts," Hyde replied, trying to keep a straight face. "It's just that I find it funny how you single me out of the classroom for laughing at a student who's asleep in your class. And if Mr. Fez over there hadn't been sleeping in the first place then I wouldn't have interrupted your lecture."

His teacher's beady eyes bulged, and Hyde suddenly wished he could swallow his tongue; his fucking hangover was going to really screw him this time if he didn't keep it together. He actually feared it was too late and that Mr. Roberts was going to send him to the principal's office without a warning when someone let out a tiny cough from the back of the class.

Hyde turned his head to the doorway where he heard the sound, and when he saw the person standing there he felt as though he'd taken a severe blow to the chest. The girl from the bus stop—the rich cheerleader—was standing there dressed in a white blouse, thigh-length pleated skirt, and knee-high boots. Her curls were loose and fell on her shoulders softly, with only her bags pinned back to show off perfectly sculpted eyebrows and those enticing eyes of hers.

He saw she was staring back at him with that wide-eyed expression of hers and his lips curved into a small smile. It nearly took him by surprise when he saw her return it with a winning smile of her own.

"Excuse me miss, but can I help you?" Mr. Roberts interrupted, addressing the little angel with a smart nod.

Hyde's eye candy suddenly faltered. Her cheeks flushed red and she spoke in a rushed voice. "I'm so sorry to interrupt your class, but I was transferred to it this morning by the lady at the front desk in the main office. I was supposed to be in Advanced English for freshmen, but that class was booked up so they had me move to this one."

"Ah yes, you are Miss Burkhart, I take it?"

The petite brunette nodded. "Yep, that'd be me."

"Very good then," Mr. Roberts replied with a nod. He then turned his head to the room and said, "Everyone, we have a new student joining us. Her name is Jackie Burkhart from the freshman class and I'd like for you to make her feel welcome."

During Mr. Roberts's introduction for Jackie, Hyde noticed that both Donna and Fez were staring at the girl with keen interest, the rest of the class as well. While Fez was looking at her like a bona fide piece of meat, Donna looked as though she were sizing the girl up in some kind of silent competition. Hyde knew that look—guys did it to each other all the time. Most of the time it was because they felt threatened and wanted to compare to ease their egos. The way Donna was looking at Jackie indicated that she was indeed threatened in some way, though. Hyde could see it in the way the redhead narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips; there was something about Jackie that she had and Donna did not. He could've sworn he saw a spark of jealousy in her eyes, but maybe he was just imagining things. After all, Donna may be a little psycho when it comes to guys, but she was still his best friend after all. He shouldn't be mentally bashing her like that. Why was he doing that anyway? And over some girl like Jackie Burkhart—a freshman? What was his deal?

As if she could sense he were thinking about her, she turned her head to look at him—both Donna _and_ Jackie—at the same time. Hyde noticed this out of his peripherals, and even though he wanted to assure Donna he had her back and his trust forever, he wondered why he'd even bother with doing that in the first place. He wasn't dating her; she was just his best friend and she was having a stupid girl moment. She'd get over it. And if not, he'd ignore her until she did. He didn't care for women and their pissy PMS moods. Either they were cool or up tight, and he didn't believe there was an in-between. So if Donna was gonna get mad at him for giving Jackie "the eye", he was gonna say "fuck it."

Hyde caught Jackie's eye again, and this time it was like a physical burst of energy snapped between them like a livewire. The heat in their gazes sizzled between them, nearly tangible in a high degree. He wanted to reach out and touch her then—just like he wanted to when he first saw her—and nearly rose in his seat when the need took over.

Donna shot him a questioning look when he began to stand up, and even Jackie shot her eyebrows up at him in alarm. The color nearly drained from Hyde's face, but he recovered from the fault by feigning to rearrange himself. It was a totally normal thing for him to do, so no one thought anything of it. Donna had turned away, and Fez hadn't paid him a speck of attention since Jackie had walked into the room. Even the teacher seemed to be charmed by her allure. Hyde began to feel instantaneously jealous.

The world turned to normal when the teacher instructed Jackie to take her seat and she moved to her destined spot. Too bad it was all the way across the room. An ache appeared in Hyde's chest as he saw how far she sat from him when he wanted her by his side instead. She started to turn his way, but he didn't dare risk letting her see that he'd been gazing at her. He turned his head away and looked up to Mr. Roberts, giving the man his undivided attention. The pounding in his head returned, his hangover telling him he'd come back after his lunch break. Hyde groaned and leaned his head on his hand, fighting the seductive pull of his subconscious.

Jackie was finding it hard to breathe while being in the same classroom as Steven Hyde; she could feel his eyes on her even though he wasn't looking her way, and she felt as though she could also read the thoughts that were going through his head all throughout their class. She knew them as soon as she first laid eyes on him. She saw the lust. The need. She knew that's what he was feeling because she felt it, too. But it was so wrong of her to feel it. So very wrong. That was all she could think about ever since she had made her first real encounter with Steven a week ago.

When she'd gone home that night the first thing she did was have a nice, hot shower before getting a nice cup of chamomile lemon tea and settling on her twin bed to call Michael Kelso and demand an explanation as to why he hadn't met her after practice like he promised he would.

"Michael, I was waiting there for like a half hour when I decided you weren't coming, so I went out with my friends to eat at that burger place in town. And then when you didn't show up there I decided to call my dad's driver to come get me. But you wanna know why I'm mad, Michael, hmm?"

"Well, no…" he'd replied in that stupid, obvious tone of his, and Jackie huffed in frustration. Usually she wasn't this pushy in the beginning of the relationship, but she didn't really like Michael anyway. She was more interested in his friend, Steven, but unfortunately Michael had gotten in the way due to the fact that he hadn't stopped stalking her since the first week of school. She soon found out after the eavesdropping in the library incident that the cheerleader Michael had been talking about was _her_, and instead of being pissed off like she was when she first heard him say it in that piggish way of his, she'd been flattered because he somehow had charmed her.

_God damn him for getting it to work,_ she thought bitterly.

"Michael," Jackie said with a deep breath, preparing to unload on him. "I'm mad because I was left _alone_ on a _street corner_ with no one around but a bunch of _drunk old men_. And do you know why I was alone, huh?"

"No Jackie, I don't know why you were alone…"

"It was because of _you_, Michael!" she shrieked, causing Kelso to hold the phone a foot away from his ear. "I can't believe you'd just ditch me like that! Did you know I was looking forward to our date? I mean, look if you don't like me or if you're just interested in me to get laid then take this somewhere else, buddy, 'cause I'm not that kind of girl. And don't let the cheerleading uniform fool you; I may be a cheerleader, but I'm not stupid."

"Uh… yeah. Totally, you're right." She rolled her eyes, picturing him doing that stupid head nod.

"Sure, whatever you say, Michael. I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow or something."

"Ha okay, sounds great, Jackie. Maybe we'll see each other at school or something. Hokay, gotta go. See ya!" He rushed that all out in one breath before hanging up the phone—which took him four tries before he could get it right.

Jackie stared at the phone in amazement. Michael was such a total moron. She couldn't believe she'd allowed herself to agree to a date with the loser. Sure he was cute and the boyish nature had its appeal, but she could tell that he was shallow when it came to girls and didn't care about feelings—unless they were the physical kind. And that wasn't the type of girl Jackie was. She wasn't up for contact with the opposite sex. Her trust in guys was scarce after seeing what love was like between her parents. They didn't marry for love—just money and obligation out of Jackie's untimely birth—and Jackie's mom had many affairs out of spite while her dad devoted all his time to his work and neglected his wife and daughter. Her parents had been a poor example of a couple, and so Jackie never wanted to mix herself up with that kind of trouble without knowing if it was worth it or not. And up until she met Steven Hyde, she didn't think it was.

But once again, that was before she met Steven Hyde.

But there was Michael to think about. He was Steven's friend and from what Jackie could tell they'd been good friends for a long time. She liked Steven enough not to want to get between his friendship with Michael for any reason, and also didn't want to complicate things by dating Michael while harboring a secret crush for his best friend. How could she find a way to break it off so she could eventually find a way to be with Hyde, though?

_Ugh,_ she thought with a grimace, _this is way complicated. _

And that was the only conclusion she could make throughout the next week. She and Michael hadn't hung out—only talked on the phone and in the hallways at school a few times—but none of it really counted as anything memorable. As far as Jackie was concerned, Michael was on an express train that was going nowhere fast. He'd made too many moves to kiss her and his tendency to over-compliment her was starting to really get under her skin.

She soon began to compare Michael to Steven, and wondered how he'd act when it came to courting her. Would he hold doors for her? Hold her books while he walked her to class? Take her on dates to park on the deserted Lovers' Lane so they could kiss in a passionate frenzy under a blanket of stars in the Wisconsin sky?

Her erratic thoughts turned into elaborate fantasies. Those fantasies soon turned into erotic dreams. And then those dreams would feel so real, so wonderful, that Jackie felt addicted to how her mind conjured Steven to be as a lover that she felt compelled to write poems describing her feelings for him.

Coincidentally, her freshman English teacher had given a poetry assignment where the class had to write a poem in iambic pentameter that was more than five meters long. Jackie went a little over the top with the assignment and in her poem described the distant love she had for Steven in a word length that damn near came close to being fit for a sonnet, and her teacher had absolutely loved it. He ranted and raved to the board of the department that Jackie belonged in a grade higher and showed her poetry as evidence to his case, which the board took as substantial and allowed Jackie to take sophomore level English starting the following week.

Jackie had nearly squealed in delight when the board director really gave the "okay" for her to skip a grade level in English and wanted nothing more than to have that class be with Steven. If that were to happen, she knew it'd be a sign from Fate that they were destined to be together. Surely that'd be the only reason why she'd end up in his class—what else would the reason be?

She couldn't begin to figure out what the reason could be, but all Jackie knew was that she most certainly _was_ in the same class as Steven and she couldn't take the anticipation that throbbed throughout her body knowing he was just across the room and probably wanted her as much as she wanted him.

She tried focusing on Mr. Roberts' lecture about William Shakespeare and what he's say about the world's view on love today, but that only made her think of Steven more. He reminded her of Romeo in a way, except he didn't strike her as the fickle type. But poetic and romantic like Romeo? Oh, heck yes. Even now Jackie could picture Steven sitting under a Sycamore tree, writing dark poetry about love and life and how neither can exist without the other, but they sure can destroy one another. Of course Romeo would remind her of Steven—and of course she had to be learning about Romeo in the same class as Steven while trying to fight the romantic urges Juliet had for Romeo during that masquerade party in her house. _Ay me,_ Jackie lamented silently, _sad hours seem long._

"Does anyone have a thought on what Shakespeare would say about, let's say love and death, and how he'd react to our legal system today?"

Jackie couldn't stop herself from raising her hand even though her mind was screaming in protest. Mr. Roberts acknowledged her with a nod and she said, "Before I answer your question, Mr. Roberts, I just wanted to get some clarification on what kind of punishment involving love and death that Shakespeare would be interested in. Can we assume it'd be a case similar to the star cross'd lovers, Romeo and Juliet?"

Mr. Roberts, as well as Hyde and the rest of the class, had been totally taken aback by her question. Jackie looked around to see everyone looking at her with keen interest—including the teacher—and she wanted nothing more than to blend into the background and disappear. Leave it up to her big mouth to ruin everything.

"Of course, Miss Burkhart, we can assume that the crime is similar to the one Shakespeare wrote about, but what about something like a crime of passion? Which in this case refers to the act of someone killing their lover as a result of having their lover perform a heinous infraction against them that they momentarily cannot forgive."

"And in that moment of irrational thought they turn to murder as the only solution?" Jackie finished, and Mr. Roberts nodded. She then continued, "Well then I think Shakespeare would find that our law is a little harsh. I think he'd say that to punish someone for killing in the act of blind love is inhumane. Shakespeare felt as though the law and society didn't understand love and we can see that in the second act of the play when Romeo and Juliet first lay their eyes on each other.

"But, they are both warned by their kin that to have any relationship with a member of the rival family is punishable by death and are to stay away from the other. Obviously we know they didn't, and that was because Shakespeare felt as though their families were doing them a terrible injustice by not allowing them to fall in love. He felt as though their deaths were justified because they died to be with the other. Love isn't something the law can understand," Jackie continued, knowing she had Steven's undivided attention. "Love is lawless, limitless, and it knows no punishment except for being without the person who made it. I feel Shakespeare knew that and if he were alive today, he would advocate that any crime considered to be a 'crime of passion' should not be evaluated in a court's setting."

"Then what kind of setting _would_ be suitable for Shakespeare?" Jackie turned to see a redheaded girl who sat next to Steven and realized the girl had asked her a question.

She licked her lips nervously before saying, "Well, I don't know. He didn't agree with the one he had back then, so I'm not sure what he'd want in today's world."

The redhead shook her head and said, "Typical answer for someone who has absolutely no idea what their talking about."

"Now wait a minute," Mr. Roberts quickly interjected; having saw Jackie suck in a mouthful of air to hurl a bunch of insults at Donna no doubt. "I think a debate over this topic would be better handled after we actually read the book. But, this will not be like other reading assignments," he warned, a small smile showing at the curves of his mouth. "I have decided to put you into pairs. There will be one boy and one girl, and for that purpose you two will read the appropriate parts of the lead roles and in your spare time, perform the roles together. You have two weeks to read the play, and then an additional week to come up with a performance for one of the memorable moments between Romeo and Juliet to receive a grade that will count as two tests. Now let's stay quiet while I announce the pairs."

Hyde was still taken aback by Jackie's impassioned speech about love and the law to clearly pay attention as to what happened after that—for he was still too caught up by the melodic sound of her voice to really focus on anything else.

She'd been right in his opinion; the law really didn't know anything about love. He'd figured that out a long time ago. He practically grew up in the legal system, so he knew a thing or two about how the law viewed love, and it definitely wasn't how Shakespeare would have liked it to be—that's for sure. He had a feeling that maybe Jackie knew a bit about the subject as well. Maybe she had a bad childhood with crummy parents too?

"Our first pairing will be Donna Pinciotti and that foreign boy who hangs out with her. What's your name, son?"

Hyde whipped his head around to see Mr. Roberts standing in front of Fez's desk with a pen raised to his clipboard and Donna shaking her head disbelievingly.

"Mr. Roberts, excuse me, but I can't be paired with Fez," she said desperately, trying hard to work up a good plea bargain with the dorky English teacher.

"And why is that, Miss Pinciotti?" Mr. Roberts replied, crossing his arms over his chest and cocking his balding head to the side while giving her a beady-eyed stare.

"Because he's all ready weird enough as it is around me and I don't need to reenact some stupid love scenes with him to make it worse."

Mr. Roberts's nostrils suddenly flared and an ugly red color rose up his neck. "You dare call the greatest work of the greatest playwright of all time _stupid,_ Miss Pinciotti?"

Donna paled at seeing her teacher so angry. Hyde choked back a laugh at seeing her look so meek and unsure of herself by the handiwork of a man. "No Mr. Roberts, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call Shakespeare's play 'stupid'."

He nodded approvingly. "That's better. Now, the next pair is—"

"Well, wait a minute," Donna held up a finger, abruptly cutting him off from announcing the next assigned partners.

"What is it, Miss Pinciotti?" Mr. Roberts asked in an impatient voice.

"Do I have to be with Fez? I mean, please Mr. Roberts, I can't hang out with this guy alone! Can I be with someone else? Oh!" Donna exclaimed, suddenly catching Hyde's amused expression and mistaking it for him wanting to be her partner. "Can I be partnered with Steven Hyde? Please, Mr. Roberts? I think I'd work better if I was paired with him instead."

A tiny gasp came from across the room. Hyde's ears perked up at the small sound, and turned his head in the direction he thought he heard it come from.

Jackie.

She was gazing at the scene between the four of them with a tense look in her eyes; Hyde wondered if she was worried he might choose to be with Donna over a chance of being her partner, and the idea of her jealous of him spending time with another girl shot an unexpected thrill up his spine. He liked possessive women with a bit of a mean, jealousy streak. It was a nice way to show she cared—not to mention a great attitude to have for the sack. If Jackie were anywhere close to being as possessive as he hoped she was, it'd be the one thing to seal the deal for him. That, and how well she can twist that innocent appeal into naughty needs in the bedroom.

His dick suddenly became hard at the image of her in her cheerleading uniform, legs spread wide on the mattress he had at "home", touching herself in the place _he_ would like to touch her, asking him if he liked what he saw.

"Like this, baby?" he could picture her saying, biting her lip and fluttering her long eyelashes at him.

And all he'd give her in response would be a ferocious kiss—the kind of introduction a lovemaking session between them deserved. Sweat appeared on the back of Hyde's neck, and his pulse began to thud heavily in his ears. Soon it became the phantom sound of Jackie's moans and hard panting he heard, and the pressure in his cock increased twice as much.

"Mr. Hyde cannot be paired with you, Miss Pinciotti."

Mr. Roberts's voice instantly snapped Hyde back to reality where he turned his focus to his teacher and Donna. He noticed his friend was pissed she had to be stuck with Fez, while Fez on the other hand didn't seem phased by Donna's bitching. Across the room he saw Jackie watching with intent interest.

"Why can't he be my partner?" Donna demanded in a whining voice. Apparently she wasn't used to things not going her way.

"Because Miss Pinciotti, I've decided to pair him with our new student, Jackie Burkhart," Mr. Roberts haughtily replied—obviously irritated with Donna's incessant crying. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get back to teaching my class. If you have any further complaints, take it up with the principal—though I doubt he'd care very much about who you're partnered with." He turned sharply on his heel and gave Donna his back before going back to announcing who the assigned pairs were.

She kept going on about how much a dick Mr. Roberts was and how unfair it was she wasn't partnered with Hyde and some stupid freshman was, but Hyde paid her no mind. All his attention was fixed on the brunette—his mystery girl—named Jackie Burkhart—his Juliet.


	3. A Sense of Propriety

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of _That '70s Show_, though I really wish I did.

3. A Sense of Propriety

"And one, two, one, two, three, go!"

Jackie instantly broke out into the routine her cheerleading squad had been practicing for days, in perfect sync with the older girls around her. For a freshman, they thought her to be pretty advanced for her grade and had put her on the Junior Varsity team—merely because being on Varsity for her freshman year would put a strain on her academics. But Jackie didn't care; she loved to cheer. She hoped to one day become a Philadelphia Eagles' cheerleader—the uniforms would look the cutest on her for sure—and she'd take any opportunity she could to advance in the sport whether it was a huge step or not. But after this year, the Varsity coach, Mrs. Valmer, promised Jackie a fair try-out for the squad, and of course the perky brunette was grateful for the offer.

Jackie twirled with her pom-poms, struck a pose with her arms in the air, and did a dancing combo to the left while spinning her sparkly, plastic balls in the air simultaneously. She was dressed in a pink sweatshirt, white shorts, and white sneakers and white knee-high socks with pink hearts at the top. Her curly hair was pulled into a loose bun, she'd pretty much sweat all her make-up off her face, and her muscles were taunt and sore from the multiple times they've gone over the routine all ready. The opening game was coming up this weekend and since the captain wanted all the girls to be ready, they had to work double-time on the routine moves to make sure everyone looked crisp and flawless come game night. Sure, Jackie's character appreciated the gesture, but her body sure as hell didn't. In fact, it was taking everything in her not to collapse on the grass below her.

"Okay girls, time for a water break!" the captain, Savannah Dougherty called to Jackie and the rest of the girls. She was a tiny senior with light skin, freckles, and strawberry blonde hair. She and Jackie were in the same lunch and gym class together, and the girls bonded instantly due to Jackie's outgoing behavior and Savannah's appreciation for Jackie's blunt honesty. The girls were inseparable after the first day of school and ever since Savannah took the younger girl under her wing, in hopes of making Jackie the best cheerleader the squad had ever seen.

She smiled at Jackie when she saw the tired-looking brunette break out of formation for her water bottle and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, what's going on, Jackie? You seem exhausted."

Jackie gave her friend a weak smile before taking a sip from her water bottle. "I've been doing a lot of homework," she lied smoothly.

"You need any help?" Savannah asked.

"Nah," Jackie said with a shrug. "It's just my time management that's been getting me. Plus there's this new assignment I got for English and—"

"Hey! Excuse me sir, but you're not allowed to be on the cheer field!"

Jackie stopped in the middle of what she was saying and turned to see Mrs. Valmer shooing a tall boy with sunglasses away from the cheerleaders. Her heart stopped beating when she saw it was Steven Hyde.

"Oh my gosh, who _is_ that?" Savannah declared, her tone indicating her displeasure at the intruder. "I don't think I've ever seen him before… oh wait, never mind. I know that kid."

Jackie, wanting to keep appearances with her popular friend, decided playing clueless wouldn't be such a bad idea. "How do you know him?"

"He's this kid who used to be in my lunch last year. He used to reek of beer and all he'd talk about was the _evil_ government," she rolled her eyes distastefully, making Jackie's insides squirm in anger. How could the girl think Steven Hyde wasn't brilliant and wonderful because of his far-left, radical views? "And the weird thing is," Savannah continued, paying no attention to the frown on the brunette's face, "he always hated me because I was a cheerleader. He never had anything nice to say to any of us, actually, so I'm wondering what the hell he's doing on the field right now."

"Do you think he wants to hurt us?" Jackie whispered in mock fright.

"Who knows?" Savannah said with a shrug. The words _"Who cares?"_ were unspoken, but seemed to hang in the air as if she'd said them.

Nervousness collected all the way into the pit of her stomach to the point where Jackie felt a sudden case of claustrophobia. She had no idea why she cared so much if Savannah knew the girl was associated with Steven, but figured it had to deal with the fact that Jackie was an A-lister whereas Steven was practically a peasant in the high school world. Of course she should be concerned about her status and friendship with Savannah and the other cheerleaders; _they_ were what mattered. They were the ones who were helping her make all her dreams come true—and Steven Hyde surely would destroy all she worked for because of his hate for corporate society. She couldn't let him—_especially_ not him—or anyone know her true feelings. She knew she'd be damned either way.

She and Savannah watched as Steven exchanged quick words with Mrs. Valmer. The cheerleading coach stood with her hands on her thin hips and her pretty face twisted in a scowl. Steven, on the other hand, seemed incredibly cool and at ease with himself as he stood with his hands in his pockets and his face an expressionless mask while the coach wagged her a manicured finger at him and all of a sudden pointed in Jackie's direction. Steven's gaze then went automatically to where Mrs. Valmer pointed, and Jackie could swear she could see how his eyes narrowed at the sight of her.

Mrs. Valmer held up her hand as if she were telling Steven he had five minutes before she wrote him up for a detention, but obviously it seemed he didn't care. As soon as he was "dismissed" he made a beeline for Jackie.

She heard Savannah suck in a quick breath next to her. "What's he doing coming over here? Jackie, do you know who that is?"

She sighed, not knowing whether it'd be a good idea to lie or tell the truth. Obviously she couldn't tell the _whole_ truth, but she could say something that would explain the weirdness of the situation. _Or_ she could lie. But then again, it'd be hard to recover from a lie like this. And Jackie wasn't a very good liar to begin with.

"Uh, he's sort of my partner for an English assignment," she explained, embarrassed by the situation. "I didn't want to say anything 'cause I wasn't thrilled about it and I didn't want you to be worried about me."

"Oh sweetie, you poor thing," the older girl cooed, giving Jackie a sympathetic pat on the arm. "I would have done the same thing—trust me. Being paired up with that piece of male specimen would surely give a beautiful girl like me wrinkles. I don't even wanna know what the stress is gonna do for _your_ skin."

_Uh, that's the least of my problems,_ Jackie thought with an inward sneer. Were women really this superficial all the time? Oh wait…

Steven stopped walking when he got about three feet from Jackie and another ditzy female in a slut costume. He noticed neither of them looked pleased to see him. Odd, because for a moment in class he thought Jackie had seemed completely taken with him. Like he was with her. The complete one-eighty in her personality suddenly made him edgy and nervous. Did she not appreciate the visit? Was it some "poaching on her territory" kind of deal? _Fuck women,_ he thought to himself. _One minute they love you and then the next they don't even want to look at you. Fuck indecisive females._

But her erratic behavior wasn't going to deter him from this. No, absolutely not. He and Jackie were going to spend time together for the sake of the assignment whether she liked it or not.

He met her with a direct gaze, and to his unabashed delight he saw a deep blush start to creep on her neck. "Hey Jackie," he said in a voice that was purposely low and husky.

She bowed her head, hiding her doe eyes from his intense look. "Hi Steven," she whispered so softly that Hyde had to strain his ears to hear.

"Hi Steven, I'm Savannah," the redhead beside Jackie cut in with a haughty voice. Hyde narrowed his eyes at the interruption. "Now that intros are over would you mind telling me why the hell you're disturbing cheerleading practice? We have an _important_ game this weekend," she said with authority, clearly trying to show Hyde she was boss here.

But Hyde obviously wasn't going to back down from her. He anchored his hands in his pockets and glared at her saying, "I'm here to talk to _Jackie_, not _you_. Mind giving us a few minutes of privacy or does she need your permission first?"

The older cheerleader rolled her eyes at his quip and ran her fingers through her hair. "Fine whatever, but you better make it quick. If Jackie isn't back practicing her routines in five minutes I'll see to it you get suspended."

"Oh, you mean you'll really try to get me out of school for a few days? Gee thanks, you're so kind," Hyde replied sarcastically.

Jackie then cleared her throat. He looked at her expecting eyes and nodded. "Lead the way?"

She turned around, keeping her head down, and began to walk over to the side fence where a bench sat facing the sky. She perched on the edge, looking ever so much like a nervous bird, and Hyde kept the urge to wrap his arms around her in check. He was just as nervous as she, if not more, and wanted to broach this subject delicately. He settled on the bench a good distance from her and cleared his throat.

"So, about this project we have in class…" he began, but stopped when he realized how lame he sounded.

Jackie didn't look at him but replied with, "We don't have to spend time together if you don't want to. We can just read the play by ourselves and talk about it in class if you'd like."

Hyde turned to her and raised his eyebrows. "I was looking forward to spending time with you, actually."

The crimson flush deepened on her face when he spoke those words, and she swiped her tongue across her lips nervously. Hyde instantaneously felt jealous of her tongue, wishing it were his own that caressed her full mouth.

She glanced at him, and when she saw Hyde was facing her, she abruptly turned away. "You mean, you really wanna do this assignment with me? Like spending alone time and everything while reciting lines from the book?"

He shrugged in what hoped was nonchalance. "Why not? Could be fun. Besides, I like Shakespeare."

To his surprise, Jackie barked out a short laugh. "You're kidding, right?"

"Not at all," Hyde returned, slightly stung by her comment. "The way he defies society and morality in his works astounds me. I've actually read _Romeo and Juliet_ before."

"Me too," Jackie confessed in a husky whisper.

The deep velvety undertone of her voice sent erratic chills up Hyde's spine. He cleared his throat as a way to purge the unchaste thoughts from his mind and said, "So maybe tomorrow we can get started on this?"

"Tomorrow?" Jackie squeaked, blushing furiously, and recovering with, "I have practice 'till six. Is that okay?"

He shrugged. "Sure. I'll pick you up."

"You drive?"

"Nah," Hyde smirked. "Not legally anyway. Why? Does that bother you?"

"No," she clipped, running a hand through her hair. "But if we get pulled over I'm blaming everything on you."

Hyde laughed. "So does everyone else, so no worries. See you at six tomorrow, then?"

"Sure," Jackie whispered, fixing him with her wide-eyes.

Hyde's control was slipping; he didn't want to say goodbye yet. But out of the corner of his eye he could see the bitchy coach and head-bimbo glaring at them, so he merely sighed and stood up. Jackie gasped at his sudden movement, which caused his groin to tighten painfully. It was breathy, light, and it made him wonder if that's how she'd sound writhing underneath him. Before he knew what he was doing, he had removed his sunglasses and taken her hand, pulling her up with him so he could lean into her ear.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night 'till it be morrow," he whispered. He then pulled away and put his glasses back on without another word to her, then disappeared off the field. His heart shook with every step he took.

Jackie couldn't believe her ears; did Steven Hyde really just quote Shakespeare to her right off the bat? She couldn't process what happened through the pounding of her heart, but somehow knew it'd been real.

The skin of her ear burned where Steven's soft lips grazed it.

**I didn't put an endnote for chapter 2 so hopefully this one will clear some things up for those of you having a little trouble following the fic. Basically, I'm redoing the relationship between Jackie and Hyde while incorporating some events of the show that happened, but in a different way/order. And for those who are waiting to see how Kelso gets involved with us, I hope this chapter clarified everything for you :) **

**And, a huge apology goes out to everyone whose been waiting on this. I apologize to the readers and fans I had no idea I had—my huge delay between chapters is inexcusable and unfair to Jackie and Hyde, to say the least, and that is due to my... "lovely" life. I won't bore you with the details but basically I ended a fourteen month relationship with someone I've loved since childhood because he's not the man I fell for, and I've been dealing with the disappointment as well as getting my life back on track. Surprisingly enough though, while I've been dealing with this crap, I stumbled upon a guy friend who kinda feels like my own Steven Hyde in a way, and I want to see where this goes with him? But anyway… enough rambling. I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all the readers and the raters and the reviewers and the members who added me to their favorite authors list and their alert list. YOU GUYS… have NO idea how good that makes me feel. **

***Also, I know Jackie wanted to be a **_**Dallas Cowboy**_** cheerleader, but I had to change it to the Eagles 'cause I bleed green all year long and just looking at those two words made me feel like I was being stabbed with a barbeque fork repeatedly in my chest cavity. Sorry to disappoint the Dallas fans out there…**


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